I learned one very important thing about myself over the holidays - I am TERRIBLE at blogging while not in Grenada. Granted, we were so busy that I hardly had 5 minutes a day without something going on. But I know lots of other wives and mothers whose lives are constantly that busy, and they find plenty of time to blog about their crafts or room makeovers or incredible meals (which means they also have time to perform said activities). I guess what it comes down to is making time for the things that are important to you. And during our short four weeks at home, I was enjoying every minute I had to shop, eat, and spend time with family and friends. I'll post a couple entries about our time at home in the next couple weeks. We had a super fun vacation with my family and lots of other memories that I can't wait to share. It really was one of the best Christmases we've ever had.
We left bright and early on Saturday, January 8 to fly back down to Grenada. Last time we flew down here, we ended up spending a night in Miami and getting in a day late. Fortunately, on this trip, everything was on time. We flew from Greenville to Charlotte, and then Charlotte to Barbados. On that 5-hour flight, our seats were a couple rows apart. We couldn't find anyone to switch seats with us, as everyone around us was already seated by someone they knew. It turns out we were both so tired that we slept the majority of the trip.
The airport in Barbados is beautiful. It has a large open-air courtyard surrounded by the ticket counters and gates. As the agent for British Airways printed our boarding passes, she informed us that we had been upgraded to business class free of charge. Once we went through security, we walked into a large, circular room similar to a food court. We found a little restaurant that served delicious, homemade pizzas, and relaxed for the next few hours before our flight to Grenada.
Once we boarded the plane, we made our way to business class and were greeted with the most luxurious accommodations we have ever seen (much less, experienced) on an airplane. We had individual seats that faced each other, but with a divider that could be raised or lowered in between us. The seats reclined to a completely flat position, and a leg rest was available as well. We were equipped with our own personal televisions, remote controls, slippers, and compartments for our laptops and shoes.
Shortly after our flight took off, we were served delicious little appetizers and glasses of orange juice by the friendly flight attendants.
Ryan and I occupied our time taking pictures of each other and our surroundings. Clearly, we are not accustomed to such a high standard of living. Unfortunately, the flight was only 20 minutes long, and the fun was over almost as soon as it had started. Now why couldn't we have been upgraded on our 5-hour flight? Ryan asked me to look into the cost of a business class upgrade for our long flight home in May. After our 20 minutes of feeling pampered, I don't think we can live without that! But I'm sure the cost will outweigh the benefits, and we'll be relegated to the economy class for the remainder of our flights.
We made it through customs in Grenada with no problem, and shared a taxi with another student on our way to campus. We unpacked our closet again (I think we are getting faster every time) and watched a football game before heading to bed. As always, we are thankful for the Lord's hand over us as we traveled, and the safe arrival of us and all our bags. We are excited to begin another semester here and look forward to sharing our experiences with you!
